Door latch



Oct. 20, 1925- 1,557,927

E. R. FARLEY Filed Jan. 17. 1925 Patented Oct. 20, 1925.

UNITED STATES E RETT R. FARLEY, or PAOIJI, INDIANA.

DOOR LATCH.

Application filed January 17,1925. Seria1 No.,8,124.

T all whom it may con-0cm Be it known that I, EVERETT R. F nann a citizen of the United States, residingat Paoli, in the county of Orange andjState of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Door Latches, of

which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to locks and latches, and more specifically to latches designed for use with screen doors, though not limited thereto. v

The general object of the invention is to provide a latch which will permit the door to be slammed closed and whichwill effectively latch the door against opening movement, and which is so constructed that it will not be likely to be operated accidentally by children. A further object in this connection is to provide a latch which will catch when the door is slammed shut and will not be likely to jump or rebound, thus failing to latch the door.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein M V Figure 1 is a vertical sectional View throu ha door showing my latch, the door being in closed position';

Figure 2 is a section on the line 22 of Figure l; y

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the door and its frame just before the latch closes; v

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the inside face of the door and latch.

Referring to this drawing, 10 designates the door and 11 the frame with which the door coacts. The door is slotted from front to rear, as at 12, and preferably the slot is in the form of a keyhole, that is it is enlarged at its upper end at 13. Passing through this enlarged slot 12 is the latch 14 which is formed of a relatively heavy wire. This wire intermediate its ends is bent to form an eye 15 through which the pivot pin 16 or other fulcrum member passes. Beyond the inside face of the door the latch 14 is a-ngularly bent downward nearly at right angles to the body of the latch at 17, and then extends upward and outward, as at 18, and terminates in a handle 19 formed by bending the wire in a loop. Outward of the straight portion and located beyond the I the door.

outer face of the door. the latchis formed topro'vide a handle 20 and attached tothis portionof the latch is a coiled contractile spring 21 which at its upper end is attached to the strip 22- which is attached to the door.

The door frame 1S provided with a projecting pin 23 or equivalent element, and mounted upon the door frame and projecting over the head of this pin is a member 24:. In the use of this device, when the door .is slammed to, the spring21 will cause the .angularly bent portion 17 of the latch to snap up over the pin 23 and thus the screen door will beheld firmly against anyopening movement. The handle 19 will be on the inside ofthe screen door. This handle will be preferably dis osed slightly above the height where it will be convenient to small children, but even though a child can reach this handle he is'not likely to unlatch the door for the reason that the tendency of the child will be to pull downward on the handle :20 and this pulling downward will, of course, not effect the unlaching of On the other hand, when .it is desired to openthe door from theeXt-erior it is-onlynecessary to press downward'onthe handle 20 which willunlatch.thefldoorfand permit opening movement. Obviously when the door isopened the shank 18. will be disposedat air inclination with reference to a horizontalfplane, so that as the 1 door f is slammedthis inclined portion 18 will ride against the upper faceof theogpin23, and if the door be closed with suflicient force or slammed thiswillldepress the forward end of the latch and the spring 21 is of sufficient strength and the angular portion 17 of sufficient depth so that the door will be positively latched and held in its latched position once the portion 17 is sprung upward beyond the pin 23.

This latch is particularly devised for the express purpose of keeping a baby or small child from following its mother out through the screen door, which it is likely to do if the screen door does not latch when it is slammed. Furthermore, this device holds the screen door closed so tightly that flies will not get in. The shield 24: forms a support for the outer end of the pin 23 and also prevents clothing from being caughtvon the pin 23.

While this device is particularly adaptedto screen doors, it may obviously be used on pulling upward on the inner end of the latch.

It will be noted that the strip 22 is vertically slotted, as at 25, and that the shank of the latch extends through this slot, The object of providing this slot is that it holds the latch in right position and prevents any horizontal or lateral movement of the latch and relieves any tendency of the latch to bend. The narrow portion of thekeyhole slot prevents any twisting movement being communicated to the latch; The strip 22 limits the upward movement of the latch 14 and also covers up the aperture 13 through which the latch passes. The connected apertures 12 and 13 permit the insertion of the latch through the larger portion 18 of the slot and then the lifting of the latch up to the narrow portion of the slot and the insertion of the fulcrum 16 theret-hrough. This latch is generally placed about three and a half feet up'from the base of the door so as to make it difficult for a three-year old child to reach it. Furthermore, as before remarked, the handle 19 must be pushed up in order to permit the disengagement of the latch, which is a motion not natural to a child.

l. The combination with a door and a frame against Which the door" closes, the frame having an outstanding pin extending parallel to the face of the door when closed, of a latch mounted on the door, the latch having a horizontal portion terminating at its inner end in a handle and extending beyond the outer face of the door, the latch then extending straight downward and being adapted to engage over the pin, the

latch then extending upward and outward to a point'beyond the level of said pin and terminating in a handle, and a spring urgingtheinner endof the latch upward.

2-. The combination with a door and a frame against which the door abuts, of a pin projecting from the frame parallel with the face'of the door, the door being slotted opposite to said pin, a latch having intermediate its ends aneye, the eye being disposed through-said slot, a fulcrum in said slot and around whichthe eye engages, the inner end of the'latch being formed to provide a handle, the outer end of the latch projecting slightly beyond the face of the door and then extending straight downward at right angles and being adaptedthereby to engage over the pin on the frame, the latch then extending upward and outward at an inclination and being formedat its outer end with a handle, and a spring engaging the inner end of the latch and urging the inner end of the latch upward and its outer end downward.

3. The combination with a door and a frame against which the door abuts, of a pin projecting from the frame parallel with the face of the door, the door being slotted opposite-to said pin, a-latch having intermediate its ends an eye, the eye being dis-,

posed through said slot, a fulcrum in said slot andv around which the eye engages, the inner end of the latch being formed to pr30- vide a handle, the outer end of the latch projecting slightly beyond the face of the door and then extending straight downward at right angles and being adapted thereby to engage around the pin on the frame, the latch thenexten'ding upward and outward at an inclination and be-ingpformed at its outer end with a handle, a spring engaging the inner end of the latch and urging the inner end'of the latch upward and its outer end downward, and a shield attached to the door frame and extending over the pin thereon. a

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

H EVERETT R. FARLEY. 

